Chapter 9

Stakes

“Hi!”

Merlin was surprised but overjoyed to see Nick finally home. She kissed him and he returned it with more heat than she’d anticipated.

“Whoa .. break’s done you good,” she commented.

His eyes were hot. “I want you. Now.”

“Sophie’s here – ”

“I don’t care. I want you, not her. Now. Right here.”

Merlin looked around the foyer. “Here?”

“Like it was at the start. You remember?”

“Sure. Not something I can forget.” She angled her head. He seemed flushed, almost feverish. “Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m feeling horny. Horny as hell. I haven’t seen you in over a week. I forgot how much you turn me on.” He moved closer. Merlin resisted the urge to step back. “You’re pressing all the right buttons, babe.”

“You forgot? Nicky .. you forgot?”

“Figure of speech,” he grinned quickly. “Come here.”

“No.” Merlin shook her head. “Not here. In there,” she continued, gesturing at the small lounge. “I don’t want Sophie seeing us making out.”

“Why not?” Nick frowned. “It’s wild.”

“I’m no prude, Nicky. God knows I’m not. I’m thinking of Sophie’s feelings here. If you’re so keen on wild, let’s go into the yard. You can take me against a tree .. like it was at the very start.”

He moistened his lips. “Let’s go.”

It was only later that Merlin realized Nick hadn’t shown any concern for the baby. During the fourteen or so weeks of the pregnancy, he’d been careful when they’d made love. Not today. He’d not seen her for a week but he’d torn into her like a man who hadn’t seen any women for years. Merlin had done her own reading and she knew the baby was safe so she’d enjoyed the roughness of the physical contact, the sheer animal need and mentality of it. There was nothing gentle, nothing tender. It was raw.

After Nick had zipped his fly and they’d returned to the house, he seemed worn out, exhausted. His expression was dull, his eyes flat, tired and dispirited.

“Nicky, Sophie really does need to speak with you. Can you do it now? You got any photographs she could use? It’d save you having to make a special trip.”

“I’m tired, babe.”

“Well, come an’ see what she’s done. Then you can go sleep for a while,” Merlin coaxed. “It’s on your way.”

“Okay.”

He draped an arm around her shoulders and they climbed the stairs together. “How you been feeling?” he asked, a little late in the day.

“Good. I still can’t feel any movement but Rachel says it’s too soon. Around nineteen or twenty weeks, an’ then I’ll think I have gas. Strange thing though,” she recalled. “I woke up around midnight last night an’ I really believed I was sick. In fact, I thought I was dying. I couldn’t breathe, my chest felt crushed. Like my heart was breaking. But then it eased off. Weird, huh?”

“Around midnight?” he queried.

“A little after. It scared me.”

“If it happens again, call Rachel. To be safe.”

She nodded. “If it happens again, I will.” Merlin lowered her head. “I wish you’d been here. I know you were working an’ I can’t make demands but, just last night, I wish you’d been here.”

“I wish I’d been here too,” Nick said quietly. “I don’t want to do anything to hurt you, Merli, I don’t wanna lose you – ”

“I’m fine now. It was probably indigestion,” she commented.

“ – but I think, before this is over, I will.” He shook his head, his eyes closing. “I’m in deep. Can’t seem to help myself.”

She halted, suddenly scared for him. “Then quit. Whatever it is you’re doing, just stop. Steve isn’t worth putting yourself thru hell.”

At the mention of Steve’s name, Nick twitched and his expression changed. His eyes became hard. Whatever grounding he’d managed to achieve by making love, he lost it.

“It’ll be over when it’s over, however it ends,” he said curtly, his arm sliding away.

Merlin sighed inwardly. Let the boys fight it out. Let them wrestle until one stood with his foot on the throat of the other. She couldn’t stop them. She wasn’t strong enough.

*****

Carl Chang gladly set his filing to one side to work on Derek’s shard. What he couldn’t set aside so easily was what had happened to his latex gloves. Fire in his office would have been a disaster. There was so much paper laying around. He needed help, he knew it, but his budget didn’t stretch to hiring an assistant. And, ordinarily, a fire shouldn’t have occurred. But it had. And it had occurred due to some kind of resin on the gloves which had arrived there courtesy of handling the little box.

What if they hadn’t heated up so fast ..?

He shuddered as the images unrolled in his mind. Him locking up for the night, going home, the office in darkness, the combustion, the flames consuming the trash and then spreading …

I have got to get this office straightened up. My God, the whole building could have gone up in flames.

He wanted to take another look at the box. He wanted desperately to get some answers. But Carl Chang was dedicated. A mystery had to take second place to a request. So he shoved the mystery grumbling into the background ‘to do’ pile in his head and focused his formidable intelligence on Derek’s shard of pottery.

*****

“Can I come to the fundraiser?” Kat asked. She’d seen Rachel unpacking her new dress. “I’d like to see Peri.”

Rachel hesitated and Kat looked hurt. Kat wanted a new dress of her own and the fundraiser provided the same perfect excuse as it had for Rachel. But Rachel apparently didn’t want Kat to go, and, therefore, in Kat’s logic, not have any new clothes.

“Kat .. I’ll be honest with you, okay? I’d love you to come. I’m not hesitating because I’d be ashamed of you or think you’d somehow embarrass me, or the others. I know you wouldn’t. You’d be a very good hostess and ambassador for the Luna Foundation. I’m hesitating for a very different reason. It may not be safe for you.”

Kat hadn’t expected that and the hurt expression changed to a frown. “Is something going on over there?”

“Yeah, but not the usual. It isn’t supernatural or paranormal. It’s all too human,” Rachel replied. “You’ve never seen Nick when he’s like this. He can be scary. An’ now there’s two like it. Nick would never hurt you but .. I’m not sure about Steve. An’ the simple fact is that, when boys decide to play rough, sometimes the girls get caught in the crossfire an’ get hurt. Scale that up to two grown men, an’ you see why I’m hesitating. I don’t get the choice. I have to go. But I’d rather you stay away.”

“Mom, I understand but .. Derek will be there, an’ Alex. An’ you. An’ Peri, an’ a lot of other people. Safety in numbers, right? What kinda game could Nick an’ Steve play with so many around?”

“Well,” Rachel began, slowly sitting at the kitchen table, “there are all kinds of games, Kat. Adult games. Nick is married an’ sees you as a kid sister. He always will. Steve .. may not. He may see you for what you are. Fifteen, nearly sixteen, poised on the very brink of womanhood .. an’, in his mind, ripe for exploitation. I don’t want that to happen. I don’t want to see you hurt like that.” Rachel shook her head. “It is a terrible thing to say about someone I work with, especially when he hasn’t shown any kinda tendencies in that direction. But the truth is .. I don’t trust him yet. He hasn’t really done anything an’ so hasn’t proved himself. I just don’t know him well enough and I certainly don’t wanna take any chances, honey. Later, sure, when he’s really settled in an’ these .. games have stopped, when we’re back to normal, yes, you can come over to the island again. For now, I’d prefer it if you didn’t.”

Kat sighed but nodded. “Okay. I’d still like to see Peri.”

“Now that can be easily arranged because she’s at home. Why don’t you call her an’ fix a time? I’m sure she’d love your company. She’s doing a lot of work in the yard an’ a helping hand wouldn’t be refused.”

“Can’t I just go sit by her pool?” Kat frowned.

Rachel laughed. “A day off wouldn’t hurt either.”

*****

Merlin chatted happily to Kat for some time while they fixed a day for her to visit. When she hung up, she heard rapid footsteps in the distance and hurried to investigate.

“Sophie?” she called.

The artist froze halfway across the foyer. “Um .. I have to go.”

Merlin regarded her. Sophie was pink under her tan and she looked restless, on edge.

“Have you finished?”

“No, not quite. I still have the .. other things to do.”

Merlin took two cautious steps forward and noticed how Sophie edged away. “Will you be back tomorrow?”

Sophie stared at her shoes. “Maybe. Look, Peri, I’ll .. I’ll call you, okay? I have to go.”

She broke into a run, wrenched open the front door and let it slam behind her.

“What the hell was all that about?” Merlin breathed and shook her head.

She went upstairs to see if she could find any clues. Sophie had been putting the fine detail into the mural now – painting floppy eared rabbits nosing out from behind bushes and brightly colored parrots in the trees. And, apparently, a red streak down one tree trunk and onto the carpet.

She’s dropped the brush. No big. We can wipe it up. Repair the damage. Hell, buy another carpet if I have to. It’s no reason to go tearing out of here and be embarrassed. She must have had accidents before. These things happen.

“Hey, babe,” Nick said lazily from the doorway. “Fancy taking a nap with me .. an’ not sleeping?”

“Did you speak with Sophie?”

“Yeah. We talked. She knows exactly what I want,” Nick replied, reaching for her hand. “Come to bed. We’re all alone now, an’ I wanna take advantage of you.”

“So soon? Wow, where’d you get your appetite?” she laughed.

He nuzzled her neck. “Every time I see you, it just happens. You make me hungry. I wanna feed.”

*****

Nick was gone when she woke the next morning. Merlin had slept late because she hadn’t had much sleep during the night. Nick had been insatiable. Her body ached with both pleasure and pain. She rose stiffly and went to shower. Merlin took her time, simply standing under the pulsing jets of water. Eventually, though, when her fingers were starting to pucker, she reluctantly stepped out and toweled dry. She chose sweat pants and a loose T-shirt because she was on her own and it was comfortable.

“Just you an’ me, baby,” she said out loud. “Daddy didn’t even leave a note.”

Nick hadn’t left a note in the kitchen either. He’d just gone as abruptly as he’d arrived.

Merlin drank a glass of milk and swallowed the vitamins, telling herself it was only another six months and she could do this. Then she picked up the phone and called Sophie.

“Hello!”

“Hi, it’s Peri.”

There was a sudden strangled hush which grated after the cheerful greeting.

“Sophie, I saw the accident. It’s no reason to be embarrassed. We can fix the carpet. When can you come back?”

There was a long silence.

“Are you still there?”

“Er, yeah. Um .. will your husband be there?”

“Nick? He’s gone back to work. I don’t know when he’ll be home again.” A worm turned in her heart. “Sophie .. what happened yesterday?”

“Nothing!”

The worm began to spin. “He said he spoke with you. Did he explain about the pictures?“

“Yes.”

“Did he give you any photographs you can use?”

“N-No.”

“He told me you know exactly what he wants.”

“I … Peri, I … ”

Merlin’s lips thinned. “What happened?”

Merlin heard a faint sigh. “He … I’m so sorry, Peri. I have really loved doing the work in your baby’s room. But I don’t want to be there if he is. He made a pass at me. He came up behind me an’ I jumped, dropped the brush. He told me, very quickly, about the images he wants painted but then … ”

“What did he do?” Merlin asked in a steady voice.

“He touched me, tried to kiss me. He pushed me against the wall an’ was putting his h-hands inside my shirt … I told him to stop. I slapped his face. I asked why was he doing this .. an’ he said .. he said it was a dare.”

“Really. No, I believe you,” Merlin said, although, inside, she was screaming that she didn’t.

“I had to get out. I ran. I couldn’t stay there. I’m sorry, Peri.”

“It’s okay. Well, no, obviously it isn’t okay for you but you don’t have to apologize, not to me. Look, scratch what Nick wants. I’ll finish off. Fill in the gaps, paint over the red tree trunk. Send me your check an’ I’ll settle up. You don’t have to come back.”

“Are you sure?” Sophie asked in a small voice.

“Positive. An’ I don’t want you to think it’s because I don’t want you back, I do. I’m .. doing what you want, what makes you feel comfortable. I can only apologize for Nick’s behavior. It isn’t like him. I .. think he must be ill. I’ll make sure he knows that what he did was very wrong.”

“Thank you,” Sophie said, her voice a whisper. “I’ll mail you the check.”

Merlin hung up and sat very still for a moment. Then her eyes hardened and her hands closed into fists only to open and reach for a pack of cigarettes.

“I am gonna kill him,” she murmured. “This time, he’s gone too far.”

*****

“Good day off?” Steve inquired.

“Yeah,” Nick answered. “Very satisfying. Hardly slept a wink all night.”

“Wow, that’s two nights running, man. What I’d give for your stamina .. an’ your wife.”

Nick merely laughed low in his throat. “You wouldn’t be the first to want that.”

“An’ the dare?”

“I met the challenge, full on. Now it’s my turn. This afternoon.”

“O-kay,” Steve accepted, eyes narrowing. “What do I have to do? Make a move on Alex?”

Nick grinned slowly and his eyes shone red. “Survive.”

*****

Derek was wavering between active condemnation and watchful tolerance. Maybe it was just a game, a game of words. People could say the most outrageous things just to press a button and watch someone explode, or simply to see if they could goad them enough. The words didn’t have to be true. They could be blatant lies but, if the shoe fit .. other people tended to believe, and then judge accordingly. Derek knew that he didn’t want to believe that Nick could have, perhaps, had a one night stand. It would be devastating to Merlin. As a result, he fought against belief. Yet wasn’t the Legacy’s motto ‘faith has need of the whole truth’? It wouldn’t be the first time a man had cheated on his pregnant wife. Derek just found it difficult to imagine Nick doing that. Imagine, yes. Believe .. no.

Proof? Nick hadn’t exploded or even looked irritated at Steve’s glib words. He’d grinned. Smugly. As if he shared in the secret which was now no longer a secret.

However, although Derek could in no way condone what Nick may have done, it could be just part of the game. Playing along with Steve. Reeling out the line, then, once he was well and truly hooked, drawing him in and presenting him on a platter to his Precept.

At the back of all this was the damning knowledge that Derek could only blame himself. If he hadn’t brought Steve into the house, none of this would have happened.

Now there was the matter of divided loyalties. Derek had made some questionable decisions over the years – rash decisions, impulsive choices – and Nick had supported him throughout despite his own doubts. He’d been loyal. It was time for Derek to return the trust. If Nick was playing a dangerous game, Derek had to trust he knew what he was doing. An isolated incident shouldn’t be enough to damn him in the Legacy’s eyes. And Derek owned the same loyalty to Steve – he was a member of the team in spite of everything – and yet … Nick had the years. Steve was an untried newcomer.

How much does a house have to do to be declared renegade? I have come close on more than one occasion. But this house has never been in doubt. I could have held out against Paul’s wishes. I should have, I see that now, very clearly. It wasn’t broken so why did it need to be fixed? The rules. Only the rules. Five members in each house. And Peri, unfortunately, doesn’t count for all that she is an unofficial member. She does work here, after all. Maybe .. it is time for the rules to change.

Well, now it seems I have a decision to make. Do I allow this .. situation to continue or do I bring it to an end? And, then, if I choose to end it, I will have another choice to make, one far more serious, one far more long term. I think, reluctantly, for now, I will have to let Nick proceed as he believes he must. But that will not prevent me watching, and watching closely.

*****

Merlin opened the door and looked at a face she hadn’t seen for a while. “Where the hell have you been?”

“I took a very short vacation,” Alopex replied. “In the order of several days. I was available but no one called.”

“An’ the rumor?”

“Only rumor. Urban myth. I checked carefully. It was a nice area though, so I stayed on.”

She nodded. “Good. We should take more timeout. God knows, we’re only human an’ we can only take so much before … I’m glad you’re back, Jon. You can do me a favor.”

“Anything,” he agreed. “Can I come in?”

Merlin smiled. “Of course. I’m sorry. I’m just … ”

“Tense. I can feel it. You’re upset.” Alopex stepped into the foyer and closed the door. “It must be strange, to feel all these emotions an’ know you don’t have to hold back. You can’t hurt anyone. Can’t cross the line. It’s a great freedom.”

“An’ one I can’t indulge or enjoy. Why? Because in six months, I’ll lose all this freedom. Only take six weeks to form a habit, Jon. If I start acting on what I feel, start crossing the line … ” She shook her head. “I wouldn’t be able to stop. No, some things have to remain as if I could hurt someone. But, yeah, I am most definitely angry an’ pissed off.”

“You’re not going to ask me to punish someone, are you? You know I can’t.”

“Nothing like that. I just want you to listen to something.”

He followed her into the kitchen where Merlin picked up the phone. “You’ve been working in the yard,” Alopex remarked. “It looks good. Who are you calling?”

“Someone who’s been doing some stuff here. You don’t have to talk, only to listen,” she replied. “Sophie? Hi, it’s Peri. Could you do something for me? Over the phone, right now. Tell me again what you told me this morning. Just that.”

She handed the phone to Alopex and stood back, her arms folding tightly over her breasts. She looked as though she were trying to stop her heart bursting thru her ribs. He listened in silence, his eyes averted, then he handed the phone back.

“Thanks, Sophie,” Merlin said. “Appreciate it.” She hung up before there could be any questions. “Well?”

“She wasn’t lying,” Alopex replied.

“I knew it. She’s a good kid. She wouldn’t have cause to lie to me.”

“But you wanted to believe she had.”

“Damn straight! I want to believe my husband wouldn’t do something like that. Nick .. has always been … I should side with him if I’m gonna side with anyone. But .. Sophie has no reason to tell me anything but the truth. I had to check, Jon, an’ I couldn’t do it for myself.”

He calmly poured two mugs of coffee. “Why would he do this?”

“How the hell do I know? Because I’m pregnant, maybe. He can’t stand to see me fat an’ ugly.”

“The baby hardly shows an’ you could never be ugly.”

“In your eyes. His eyes may see differently.” She turned away, so angry she felt ten feet tall, and yet so helpless.

Alopex offered nothing except silent support. “I can do something else for you,” he then murmured.

Merlin turned back. The anger wasn’t conquered but she’d shunted it into driving something instead of simply festering under the surface.

“Like what?” she frowned.

“I can watch him. Be your private investigator. Follow him, see who he sees, what he does with them. And then tell you. Facts, figures. Names, dates, times. You’d know.”

“Jon .. why? What will it serve except to hurt me? There’s no way out. We don’t divorce.” He watched as she sipped her coffee and then lit a cigarette. “Don’t tell me I shouldn’t. I know that. I should quit .. again. An’ I will. This is .. temporary. I need it.”

He said nothing, neither condoning nor condemning. He merely waited and finally drew in a slow breath.

“I’ll tell you a story, Peri. Sit down,” he invited, gesturing curtly. “Once upon a time, there was this group of specially gifted people and, because of the nature of those special gifts, they had a very strict framework of rules by which to not only work but also live. An’ the system worked. Time passed. A lot of time. Most of the rules by which these people worked still held true. There was no reason to change them. But the rules by which they lived had become out of date. They needed revision. And, following consultation, the rules were revised. Now they could marry outside the group.”

She looked at him and he shrugged. “You got that rule changed, Peri. With enough ammunition, maybe we can get the divorce rule changed too. Do you want to spend the rest of your eternity with a guy who does this to you? What else has he done? What else will he do? Do we want a guy like that associated with us? Peri, let me get the ammunition we need to take him down and cut him loose.”

Merlin raised her eyes. “Watch him.”

*****

“Derek, I’m taking Steve to check the security cameras in the grounds,” Nick said. “If one of ’em looks likely to go on the fritz, we got time to have it replaced.”

Derek nodded. “Good thinking.”

“We’ll be back in time for supper,” Nick grinned. “Fresh air an’ exercise .. we’ll be hungry.”

“I’ll be sure to tell Andrew to prepare extra.”

Nick retreated to the control room. “C’mon.”

Steve rose and his eyes were slightly apprehensive. “What did you mean – ?”

“Not here, moron,” Nick cut in, sounding disgusted. He went out to the library. “We’ll do the rounds, check the security cameras. An’ then … ” He grinned.

Steve trailed in his wake and said nothing.

“I just gotta get something from my room. I’ll meet you downstairs in the foyer.”

“Nick, you gotta tell – ”

“Outside. Five minutes. Chicken?” Nick challenged.

Steve’s eyes gleamed red. “No way,” he declared.

“I won’t be long.”

Steve went downstairs. He’d felt cold before but now he was heating up nicely. His shoulders were twitchy, his heart rate had increased and his breathing was deeper, faster. Muscles were jumping. Nick joined him in under five minutes and they went out.

“Okay. First up, I need to know what you can do. Tell me about your past.” Nick regarded him with amusement. “No way were you a SEAL. I’d’ve known about you. You got any combat experience?”

“I was a mercenary. Seven years. Africa an’ the Middle East. I got war wounds, man.”

Nick nodded briskly. “So .. military versus paramilitary. Experience with weapons?”

“Sure. Rifles, pistols – ”

“Knives?”

“Yeah,” Steve confirmed.

“Killed people? Up close an’ personal?”

“Once or twice.”

“Then we’re good to go. We check the cameras, then we go on a manhunt. No rules.” He handed Steve a K-bar. “Best guy lives. Enough of a challenge for you?”

“You want me to kill you?” Steve queried.

Nick laughed quietly. “What makes you think you’ll win?”

*****

Merlin knew she was no artist but she could repaint the damning red streak which screamed accusation. She daubed paint over it but .. she could still see it. She always would. Every time she came in here, it would be there. Her eyes were painfully dry. She wondered if she’d cry at some later date. She doubted it. She was too coldly angry to think about tears.

She did dwell briefly on what had possessed him to do such a thing. It was totally unlike Nick. Totally. Yes, he’d played the field before he’d met her. He’d been entitled to. Yet, since meeting Merlin, Nick had never done anything to put their marriage at risk. He’d meant every word of his vows .. yet now … Okay, there had been that one time down in San Diego but that was Nick being Nick. Helping a female in distress. It had hurt Merlin at the time that he would spend the night with another woman but it hadn’t damaged their union. He had always been rock solid. Her harbor in the storm. So .. why?

And to do it after he’d said he didn’t want to do anything to hurt her?

Merlin paused, staring at the red splash on the carpet. What had he said? I don’t want to do anything to hurt you, I don’t wanna lose you but I think, before this is over, I will. I’m in deep. Can’t seem to help myself.

Apologizing in advance? An explanation? It was no excuse, none at all. But .. am I overreacting here? We’ve all been guilty of it since Steve arrived. Rachel with the room location and the car. Alex too. Nick .. with everything. Steve made a pass at me. The whole world’s going crazy. If this is just some kind of game, Nick’s playing dirty. It’s affecting a lot of people. He’s raised the stakes to an all new, critical level. And I’ve put the Fox on his tail. I just wish I was sure that Nick deserves it.

She left the carpet. It would be an excellent reminder if the anger ever started to ebb. Downstairs, the phone began ringing. Merlin ran to get it.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Peri. It’s Carl. I could really use your help.”

*****

“Ready?” Alex asked.

“Yeah. What’s the name of your contact again?”
“Charlie. Charlie Smith. He’s a .. technician, lab mechanic .. type. A geek, basically. Lives for test tubes an’ petrie dishes.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Rachel defended stoutly, having in the past spent her fair share of time with both those things.

“I know, I’m just .. trying to prepare you.”

They took Alex’s car. “I could’ve met you there,” Rachel remarked. “It would’ve saved a little time.”

“I prefer to .. be out for as long as I can.”

Rachel glanced at her. “Is it still awkward?”

Alex shrugged. “I think it’s just me. Boys will be boys an’ play their games .. an’ I’m not a boy so I prefer to leave them to it. They’ve not done anything to me or said anything. It’s just … ”

“All that testosterone flying around. I know what you mean.” Rachel smiled thinly. “They may enjoy it but it is wearing for those not taking part. All I can say is it can’t last forever. Hopefully soon, they’ll get over it an’ go back to being regular guys.”

Alex slowed for traffic. “Rachel, I’m no expert .. but is this natural behavior? Could something be causing it?”

Rachel hesitated while she thought. “It would be nice to think we could blame something external for it but, essentially, they are two guys tussling to be king of their particular heap. Yeah, it’s natural. It’s .. two stags clashing antlers. Two lions staking a claim to the same territory. Fur will fly. The best thing to do is .. leave ’em alone to slug it out.”

“And if one gets hurt?”

“Then the contest’s over. One will establish himself as king of the heap. He’ll have exacted a crushing victory on his rival. Life will be normal again.”

Alex sighed, not liking the idea of one having to lose so the other could win. But then she was a female and her brain was wired to relationships and cooperation.

*****

Merlin arrived at Carl’s office two hours after his phone call. She paused in the doorway, revising her opinion that the call had come as a blessing.

“Carl .. how can you work like this?”

“I teach a passion for history, Peri. I don’t teach paperwork. Well .. actually, yeah, I do. The need to keep accurate records. I don’t teach filing – that’s secretarial school. Filing is something that I trust to individuals to figure out for themselves.”

“Right, an’ you trust to yet other individuals to keep your office tidy. What d’you want me to do?”

He spread his arms helplessly. “Find wood under the stuff on my desk. That’d be a great start.”

“An’ where are you going?” she asked, moving into his path as he started to make a break for freedom.

“To the lab. Derek’s given me something to examine. I don’t have very long to provide a second opinion.”

She rolled her eyes in fond amusement. It was that ‘passion for history’ which both men shared. It was like an out of control semi – rolling over anyone stupid enough to stand in its way.

“Okay, Carl, whatever you want.”

“Make sense of all this senselessness,” he begged, then paused and added, “Are you pregnant?”

“You can tell? Oh, great. It’s downhill from here on in.”

“That’s wonderful! I’m so pleased for you, an’ for Nick. Don’t overdo it.”

She nodded. “Sure. I’ll try not to pull a muscle making sense of all the senselessness.” She watched him as he hurried to the door, finally making his hasty and grateful escape. “You never used to be this messy, y’know!”

“You were over here more often,” he grinned. “An’ I was scared of you.”

“Yeah, right,” she laughed. “So .. why now?”

“I have a bad feeling about fire. Right now, this office is a disaster waiting to happen. I think I should play it safe. Don’t you?”

“Absolutely.”

“Help yourself to coffee, “ he called, his voice floating back to her. “You know where it is.”

“Sure .. buried under a heap of stuff,” she muttered.

Merlin looked around at the chaos, and wondered where to start. The big boss must have done the same way back when. He did it in six days – made order from chaos. I got less than four hours but then I got a whole lot less chaos to tame.

She started by making the general cutter into neat stacks. She cleared the loose paper from the bookcase and restored the books to their correct sequence. She began sorting the stacks into relevant piles. She found the coffee machine and put a pot on to brew.

And she thought about making sense of the senseless. If only my life could be sorted out so easily … What Nick’s done is senseless. How do I make sense of it? I’m not overreacting, not this time. I can’t be. I wonder what Jon’s going to tell me. Will I be able to listen to it? Stay calm? Do I want, really want, for Nick to be taken down and cut loose?

Fire ..? What is Carl talking about? That makes .. little sense. Even with all this crap everywhere, there’s nothing combustible.

She shifted her focus and resigned herself to being very bored .. but at least she was wanted and valued.

*****

All the cameras checked out fine. No one would leave the terrace or the lawn area of the garden party so it was a futile exercise in one way, but the physical exertion of moving around the grounds loosened and warmed muscles ready for the manhunt.

Nick and Steve worked their way round to the deep woods where there were no cameras to witness the survival challenge. This was outside the estate.

“Okay, you set?” Nick inquired. “Know what you gotta do?”

“Sure. How tough can it be? I gotta find you an’ slit your throat.”

“Right.” Nick grinned. “Unless I find you first. I’ll wait .. thirty minutes while you go find a place to start.”

“You won’t follow me?” Steve queried.

“That wouldn’t be fair.”

Steve nodded. They gazed into each other’s eyes for a long moment, as if making their peace and saying their farewells. Then Steve turned and walked away.

Now .. do I trust him? Will he stay put? Maybe not. He’ll move away, find his own starting place. So I guess the question now is .. does he trust me? In a crazy way, I think he does. What a fucking moron!

Steve glanced back and saw Nick still standing in the clearing. He trudged on until the clearing was lost to sight. He moved on maybe another ten yards then slipped quickly off the path where the ground underfoot was softer and less likely to carry noise, and began to angle back.

He is into .. fair play, the honorable thing, let’s not cheat. Right. And he was the one who cheated big time. Both those girls the other night, and more than once with each. So .. now I have to kill him. I’ll lose a good buddy .. but there is a bonus. Peri will thank me for it. Maybe not straightaway but, when I tell her what he did, she’ll be grateful he’s gone. And .. I’ll still be here to fill the void I’ve made in her life. I’ll even think about adopting the brat. When I give her the box, we’ll have one wild life to share.

Steve arrived back at the clearing. He blinked. It was empty.

Okay, he thought, listening carefully. It’s for real. I can do this. Life’s too short not to try. All I have to do is .. survive. Well, bring it on, tough guy. Dare you to kill me.

He hefted the K-bar in his hand, felt the weight and the balance. A good, solid knife. Sharp. Nick took care of his weapons. Steve was happier with a gun but he could do up close, silent, and extremely personal if he had to. He eased into the clearing and looked around for tracks. Then, smiling grimly, he set off to hunt his prey.

*****

Merlin had separated the stacks into two – students and faculty members. The faculty members pile was smaller and she had almost finished filing it when the air shifted around her.

“Hi, Jon. What have you got to say?” she asked without looking back.

He was silent and Merlin halted to twist round. Alopex was frowning.

“C’mon, whatever it is, whoever she is .. I have to know.”

“There’s no she. At least, not right now. Nick’s on the island but outside the estate. He seems to be training.”

Merlin’s eyebrows rose. “Training? What’s he doing?”

“He an’ another man are hunting each other. With knives. A manhunt.”

He was still frowning and Merlin angled her head. “Jon .. just tell me.”

“I know Nick. I know Lynx. He’s been on training week with us. I can’t say I’d trust him with my life but I trust him as far as I can. Peri .. I don’t know what’s going on over there but it isn’t good. There’s a shroud of darkness around both of them.”

“Who’s the other guy? Does he look like Nick?”

“Superficially, yes. I don’t know him.”

“He’s new. New Legacy member,” Merlin muttered.

“He’s Legacy?” Alopex echoed, sounding amazed. “With that darkness?”

Merlin’s eyes rose to his face. “What else can you tell me? Are you saying that Nick has let himself be suckered into something?”

“I can’t tell you that. I don’t know where Nick is.”

“You just said, he’s on the island – ”

“The guy I know as Nick isn’t there. It’s someone else.”

Merlin considered this. “That can’t be right. I know my husband an’ he was at the house. It was him, Jon.”

“Okay,” Alopex murmured. “Maybe I chose the wrong words. It’s his body, yes, but he doesn’t seem to be driving it. The Nick I know just isn’t there. His mind, his spirit, soul .. there’s no evidence of it.”

“He’s possessed?” she exclaimed quietly.

Slowly, Alopex shook his head. “I’m not sensing anything like that but something’s happened to him. It’s like .. he’s under the influence. I think I was hasty in suggesting we get rid of him,” he admitted. “I’ll watch him for you but for other reasons.” He shifted suddenly. “I’d best get back there. This hunt is to the death. Oh, an’ I can tell you that the other guy has it worse. You have a problem on that island. It needs to be fixed.” He started to fade. “I’d do it soon, Peri, or you could lose him forever.”

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